Type-writing machine.



L. A. WERNERY.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, I9I4.

1,172,853. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES INVENTOR= ATTO L- A. WERNERY.

TYPE WRITING MACHINEv APPLICATION FILED MAY'I, 19:4. 1

1,172,853. Patented Feb.22,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- WITNESSES= J INVENTOR= WW BY M ATTORN Y.

pm'rnn STATES PATENT orator.

LESTER A. WERNERY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITERCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Application filed May 7, 1914. Serial No. 837,078.

city and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Type-Writing Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to typewrltmg machines, and particularly to meanswhereby labels and other small work-pieces, incapable of being fed overthe platen by the usual means, may be held to the platen whiletypewriting is performed thereon, and may be advanced in line-spacingmovement with the platen irrespective of the usual guiding devices.

A curved plate conforms to the contour of the platen and lies snuglythereon, and has a rearward shank to enter a slot in the platen surface.At a point within the body.

of the platen said shank engages an feccentrio or shaft, which in itsrotating actipn causes said shank to slide in and out through said slotand thereby to move the plate to and from the platen surface; thus alternately presenting a space between the plate and platen, to receive alabel or other small work-piece, and clamping upon said label or may beso thin and lie so snugly against the platen surface, being recessedtherein if desirable to have it flush with the platen surface, that onoccasion writing may be performed on sheets overlying said plate.

The use of the plate is facilitated by an adjustable stop device mountedon the carriage, which engages an end of said eccentric shaft protrudingthrough the platen end and held to a stop by a spring on the platen, andwhereby in the rotation of the platen said shaft is rocked to separatethe plate from the platen surface, and the platen is arrested under theincreasing tension of the spring at that point where said plate has beenmoved away from the platen surface to receive the work-piece; whereuponthe lower edge of the Work-piece is inserted bev tween the upper portionof said plate and the platen surface, and then the-platen is turnedbackwardly to remove the springpressed end of the eccentric shaft fromthe influence of the stop device, and thus allow said spring to rocksaid shaft backwardly and return the plate to the platen surface. Thework-piece which is in this manner .clamped to the platen is in positionthereon to receive lines of writing, being further held to the platen,if desirable, by an auxiliary finger carrying a roller, mounted on thecarriage to be swung into and out of operative position. Upon completionof the lines of writing, further rotation of the platen again bringsinto operation the platereleasmg mechanism to permit the removal of thewritten on work-piece and the inser-v tionof -another' work-piece. Inthis manner successive work-pieces may be applied to and removed fromthe platen with a minimum of manual labor, on account of the saw tomaticoperation of the clamping and releasing means which perform their dutiesduring the forward and return movements of the platen.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawin s, Figure 1 is a perspective end elevation ofportions of aplaten and carriage with my improvements applied thereto,the platen being broken-away to disclose the operating mechanlsm asprojected to enable the work-piece holder to receive or reject awork-piece. Fig. 2 is .a similar View showing the work-piece holder inoperative position. Fig. 3 is an end elevation showing the stop deviceadjusted to operative position. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing theplate separated from the platen surface through the operation of itsactuating mechanism with the stop device. Fig. 5 is a similar viewshowing the stop device adjusted to inoperative position. Fig. 6 is atransverse section through the platen to, show the slot and platemechanism therein. Fig. 7 is a perspective rear elevation of the lockingplate and its actuating parts. Fig. 8 is a vertical, longitudinalsection of a portion of the platen. also showing the stop device and itsoperative conjunction with the plate mechanism.

While applicable to typewriting machines of various characters, myinvention is here shown as applied to an Underwood machine, wherein theplaten 1 is shown as supported by frame 2 mounted on carriage 3. Theline-space wheel 4 and usual button 5 for independently rotating theplaten are also shown, though it has not been thought necessary to showthe operating mechanism for the line-space wheel. Though not a part ofthese improvements, I have also indicated at 6 the feed rolls and at 7the guide fingers whereby work-sheets ofordinary sizes are advanced overand held to the platen surface, because my improvements may, undercertain conditions, be considered auxiliary to these "devices.

In carrying my invention into efiect, I provide a longitudinal slot, asat 8, through the platen surface, into the hollow interior of saidplaten, said slot being adapted for the reception of the shank 9 whichcarries the curved clamping plate 10 that is adapted to lie snugly uponthe surface of the platen when said shank 9 is drawn within said slot.By having the slot for the shank extended longitudinally, and arrangednear the middle of a plate as shown, and by having a plate concentricwith the platen, I am enabled to have a sure movement of the platetoward the platen, and a quick and even grip upon a card. Said shank 9has an extension 11 provided on one face with a transverse recess 12 toreceive an eccentric portion 13 of a rod or shaft 14 that is journaledat one end in a stud 15 secured within the platen and forming a bearing,and

at its other end said rod or shaft 14 is passed through an orifice l6therefor in the platen end to serve as a bearing. The shaft end whichprotrudes through the platen end carries a bearing plate l7, whichextends forwardly to include in its upward path, when rotated with theplaten, the nose 18 of an adjustable stop 19, said plate being held inthat extended position bv a stop pm 20 against the upward urging thereofby a spring 21, which may be coiled around the platen hub 22 and securedto the platen end, as seen.

It will be understood that the forwardly extending position of the late17 referred to, is that indicated in the drawings, and is relative tothe position of the platen for employment of the plate 10.

The recess 12 in the shank extension 11 is covered by a leaf spring 23,of greater length than said extension, and adapted, when the shank isintroduced within the slot 8, to spring apart from said extension andallow the eccentric or crank portion 13 of the shaft -to enter saidrecess 12.

The adjustable stop 19 for actuating plate 10 through theinstrumentalities described, is suitably mounted upon the carriage, and

as shown may consist of a. strip depending from the usual cover plate 24for the linespace mechanism, said strip terminating at its lower end inthe off-set portion or nose 18, and at its upper end being bent at rightangles to form the horizontal portion 25 with slot 26, through whichslot a threaded member 27 may enter the forward screw hole in the platenframe, whereby the cover plate is secured in place, said member 27 thusalso serving to adjustably secure said stop 19 upon the carriage.Obviously, by loosening the member 27, the stop 19 may be shifted to andfro through the extent of its slot, thereby elfecting the adjustments,respectively, whereby said stop may be held either in or outside thepathof movement of the plate 17.

Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, show the stop 19 as operatively adjusted, andFig. 5 shows said stop as shifted forwardly to be out of the path of theoperating mechanism for plate 10, so that in this latter position of thestop the platen may be rotated for line spacing without affecting saidplate.

With the stop 19 adjustedas in Fig. 2, wherein a work-piece 28 is seento be held in position by plate 10, the platen is free to advance inline-spacing a further degree before said work-piece is released. InFig. 1 that further advance has been made, the plate 17 has met the stop19 in the rota tion of the platen, and having yielded against its springsupport because restrained by stop 19 while the platen has advanced, ithas by that act rocked the shaft 14 and caused the crank 13 to slide theshank outwardly, thereby separating the plate 10 from the platensurface. Thus the work-piece 10 shown in Fig. 1 may represent either awork-piece ready for removal or a new one just inserted. The followingretrograde action of the platen again clamps the plate 10 to the platensurface allowing it to grip the new work-piece while the platen isreturning to bring said workpiece into printing position. a

In order to hold the upper portion of the work-piece against the platenwhile being printed upon by the types, as 29, I may provide a guidefinger 30, pivoted at 31 to the front rail of the carriage, to swinghorizontally into and out of operative position, said finger having aroller 32 adapted, when said finger is extended, to lie against thework-piece to hold it against the platen.

It should be noted that the upper edge of the plate 10 lies below theprinting point on the platen at that time when the platen releasingmechanism is about to become 0perative, and that the plate release forremoval of the printed work-piece and insertion of a new work-pieceoccurs under the arrangement disclosed immediately after the completionof writing upon a work-piece.

It is intended to demonstrate by the foregoing account that the extentof the reciprocable movement required to be imparted to the platen,either in turning it by hand in both directions, or in advancing by theline space lever and returning by hand, is no more than is necessary tofeed forwardly the label or other small work-piece for which myinvention is designed, and that in that limited movement the mechanicaloperations are performed for release and resetting of the work-pieceholding plate.

Variations may be resorted to Within the scope of my invention, andportions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described vmy invention, I claim: r

1. In a typewriting machine, in combina tion, a rotatable platen havinga slot lengthwise thereof, a work-piece clamp adapted to engagev thesurface of said platen, a shank on said work-piece adapted in thicknessto the width of said slot, and extending practically the length of saidclamp, an extension on said' shank, a rod rotatable within the platenandlhaving an eccentric portion engaging said extension, a spring, anextension on said rod adapted-to be engaged by said spring to cause therod to hold the work-clamp against the surface of the platen, and a stopfixed in the path of said extension so as to release the work-clamp whenthe platen has been rotated to a certain point.

2. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a rotatable platen with alongitudinal slot in the surface thereof, a work-piece clamp adapted toengage the surface of said platen on both sides the slot, a slotengaging shank on the clamp, an extension to said shank, a hole in saidextension, a latch over said hole, a rotatable rod within said platen,an eccentric portion on said rod, said rod being so mounted that thesaid eccentric portion may engage the hole in said shank extension andbe latched therein, an extension on said shaft, a spring coiled aboutthe platen shaft and engaging said shaft extension to draw thework-clamp against the platen, and means engaging said shaft extensionwhereby the work may be releasedfrom said Work-clamp at a. predeterminedpoint in the rotation of the platen.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen, ofa plate movable to and from the platen surface to engage and release awork-piece, a shank on said plate, a spring engaging said shank, a fixedstop adjustable to and from its operative position, and means upon saidplate operable by said stop whereby said plate is released in therotation of said platen.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen, ofa plate movable to and from the platen surface to engage and release awork-piece, a stop, a shank on said plate adapted to be entered througha slot in the platen surface, an extension on said shank having a recesson one face thereof and a spring to cover said recess, and an eccentricrod adapted to engage with said recess and be held therein by saidspring, said rod having an extension beyond the platen endiwhere itmeets said stop in the advance of the platen to releasesaid plate.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen, ofa plate movable to and from the platen surface to engage and release awork-piece, a stop, a shank on said plate adapted to be entered througha slot in the platen surface, an extension on said shank having a recesson one face thereof and a spring to cover said recess, an eccentric rodadapted to engage with said recess and be held therein by said spring,said rod having an extension beyond the platen end where it meets saidstop in the advance of the platen to release said plate, and a spring toreturn said rod and plate, to reseat the latter, on the return rotationof the platen.

G. In a typewriting machine, a platen having a longitudinally extendingslot therein near one end, a shank fitting in said slot, a plateconcentric with the platen and extending both sides of the slot, securedto the shank, a spring tending to pull said plate against the platen, abearing plate connected with the spring. and plate, and an adjustablestop with which said bearing plate may engage when the platen is fedforward to release the shank carried plate against the tension of thespring.

7. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a revoluble platen having alongitudinally extending slot near one end, a plate curved to fit theplaten, a shank secured to the plate near the middle of its concaveside, said shank fitting the slot, an inwardly extending extension 11 onsaid shank, a spring in the inner end of said extension, and a rodjournaled in the interior of the platen having a crank or eccentricportion passing through said extension opening, a spring acting on saidrod to hold said plate against the platen, and means on the carriage torelease the plate against the tension of the spring.

8,, In a typewriting machine, in combination, a a'evoluble platen havinga longitudinally extending slot near one end, a plate curved to fit theplaten, a shank secured to the plate near the middle of its concaveside, said shank fitting the slot, an inwardly extending extension 11 onsaid shank, a spring in the inner end of said extension, and a rodjournaled in the interior of the platen having a crank or eccentricportion pass ng through said extension opening, a spring I coiled aboutthe platen axle, having one end engaging the platen and the otherengaging said rod so as to cause the eccentric part thereof to pull theplate against the platen.

9. In a typewriting machine having a carriage and a revoluble slottedplaten, the combination of a plate movable to and from the platensurface to engage and release a work-piece, said plate being providedWith an extended shank to fit said slot, a stop having a slot by whichit is adjustably mounted on said carriage, to be movable platen operableby said stop whereby said 15 plate is released in the rotation of saidplaten.

LESTER A. WERNERY.

Witnesses:

W. P. WESTPHAL, TITUS H. IRoNs.

